Potter County’s Employee Wellness Committee is encouraging county employees to join in the observance of “National Walk at Lunch Day.” On Wednesday, April 25, employees are asked to “turn a working lunch into a walking lunch.” Across the nation, employees, students, state legislators and others will be joining together to bring comfortable shoes to work and walk during their lunch breaks.
It’s an effort to inspire one another to incorporate fitness into every day, a lifestyle that can make a difference in a person’s overall health. When done briskly and on a regular basis, walking can decrease the risk of heart attack and Type 2 diabetes, control weight, improve muscle tone and reduce stress. For more information on National Walk at Lunch Day, contact Commissioner Susan Kefover or Donna Foust at Potter County Human Services.
Potter County has in place a Sexual Harassment/Gender Discrimination Policy adopted by the Board of Commissioners last year. With the assistance of specialists at the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, the commissioners are sponsoring training on the policy. This is a mandatory training session.
The training takes about 40 minutes. Separate sessions are scheduled for employees of Potter County Human Services. Employees of the courthouse, Gunzburger Building, jail and satellite county offices can choose between two dates show below:
- Tuesday, May 8, 1 pm, Gunzburger Building auditorium (A 20-minute workshop on the Employee Assistance Program will follow at about 1:40. Attendance is voluntary. See below for details.)
- Wednesday, May 9, 10 am, Gunzburger Building auditorium.
All employees should contact Sharon Costa in the Commissioners Office to sign up for one of the training sessions. She also has available copies of the Sexual Harassment/Gender Discrimination Policy that is now in effect and can be reached at 274-8290, Ext. 207; or scosta@pottercountypa.net.
Potter County employees and members of their immediate families are eligible for help through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), but many are unaware of what services are available. On Tuesday, May 8, an EAP representative will be in Coudersport to meet with employees and share details on the programs. The workshop will start at approximately 1:40 pm, after the mandatory sexual harassment training session at 1 (see story above).
Among commonly used EAP services are help with martial and family discord, issues with children and adolescents, emotional distress, personal issues, anger, stress, time management, alcohol or other drug addictions, health-related issues, child or spouse abuse and concerns about aging parents. Information on EAP services is often distributed to county employees with their payroll reports every two weeks. A pamphlet on the program was included in the April 20 pay envelope.
Service is confidential and provided free of charge. For additional information, employees should contact the county’s EAP provider, Mazzitti & Sullivan, at 1-800-543-5080. Information is also available through a website, www.mseap.com. See Work/Life section (click next to lock at upper right). Login and password are case-sensitive: login is CCAP, and password is EAP (use all upper case).
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
More improvements have been made to the county website, aimed at making county services more convenient for the public while improving efficiencies with the county government. Most recently, minutes from business meetings of the Potter County Board of Commissioners can be found on the site, available at pottercountypa.net (under Departments tab, click on Commissioners). Links to information on benefits and other services for military veterans have also recently been added (click on Veterans Affairs). Also, eligible organizations can now download applications for Small Games of Chance licenses from the site (click on Treasurer’s Office).
Developed by the Potter County Commissioners, the site features conveniences for the public to purchase dog licenses, apply for homestead tax exemptions, obtain phone numbers and email addresses for to county and municipal officials, tap into the Landex system for remote access to deeds and land records, obtain voter information, and more. There’s also current and archived information on the county government and Potter County in general, as well as some interactive features.
Internet users are encouraged to bookmark the site on their home computers. The new site complements a separate web-based service for information from or about the county government, Potter County Today. Together, the two information services deliver both timely information, updated on a daily basis, as well as connections to many other sources.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Employees are reminded that the county has in place a policy to deal with potentially hazardous driving conditions on work days. A telephone number, (814) 274-1700, is available for employees to call and receive updated information on possible work delays or cancellations. Department heads and managers are asked to make all employees aware of this service, which is provided by the Safety Committee and the Department of Emergency Services (DES).
The number replaces the need to call 274-8900 to obtain pertinent information. DES and the County Commissioners can also use 274-1700 to disseminate timely information to employees and/or the public during times of emergencies or other special circumstances. Employees are encouraged to make a note of the number for easy access.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Employees who are covered by county-provided health insurance benefits are advised that we now have a new Blue Cross/Blue Shield group number: 13026-01. If you have a doctor’s appointment, you will need to show the provider your new ID card. The provider will be able to identify your enrollment and process the billing accordingly. Anyone with questions should contact Chief Clerk Kathleen Majot at 274-8290, Ext. 206.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Potter County is affiliated with the Employee Fraud Hotline. It’s a service through which employees can report, on a discreet basis, any evidence of embezzlement, theft or any other crime occurring with county departments.
Employees can call a toll-free number, 1-800-716-3066, and use an identification code. For Potter County, the code is FJ04E. Callers are not required to divulge their identity. The service is presented in partnership with the Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool and the Pennsylvania County Workers Compensation Trust.